Fictional History

West Sussex has a long-standing tradition of flint
extraction, gravel and sand extraction, brick-making and lime
extraction/cement production. The latter two in particular did,
historically, generate their own narrow gauge and sometimes standard
gauge light railways. In certain areas, the South Downs and the
areas to their immediate south and north actually brought all of
these industries close together.

One wealthy and aristocratic land-owning family,
the Lambleys, secured their financial prosperity by capitalising on
these industries where the appropriate deposits were found on the
extensive tracts of land they owned. In particular, an area a little
to the West of Littlehampton and northwards to the Downs into the
extreme southern weald provided all of these various deposits within
a distance of little more than ten miles. Within this area, as the
industrial revolution expanded, they opened two lime
extraction/cement producing quarries in the south face of the Downs,
a brickworks on the clay beds close to the sea, a gravel extraction
pit a little west of them, sand extraction pits and a sandstone
quarry to the north of the Downs together with flint production from
the south face of the Downs.

In the latter half of the 19th century they
decided to build their own railway to assist in transferring the
products to their customers. Much still ended up travelling by boat,
and initially, had to be transferred by horse and cart to the
harbour at Littlehampton. Ideally, they wanted their railway to
serve their concerns and have access to a coastal harbour. Sadly,
rail access to Littlehampton was blocked by another equally
aristocratic but unsympathetic (and, some might say, old-fashioned)
land owner.

Nothing daunted, they looked at the tiny fishing
village of Broadsteyne, most of which they did own. The village
harbour was too small and prone to silting, but, the inhabitants
supported their proposal to enlarge the harbour, build a new quay
and to keep the harbour dredged. As a result, by 1875, they had a
minor network of 2'4" gauge railway serving most of their industry.
A further by-product was that part of the line offered a passenger
service from the harbour village to the small town of Sompting
Lambley, where the family had their seat, following the valley of
the River Sump whose estuary formed the harbour. The station was just
outside the town and also served the nearby quarry. Other branches
ran from this line to the remaining quarries together with the pits
and brickworks, and the "main" line continued to follow the river
valley northwards through the downs to serve the sandpit.

At the time of the Great War, the eldest son of
the Lambleys, having inherited a mechanical bent from his father,
chose to join the Royal Engineers rather than one of the traditional
Guards regiments. Here, his familiarity with light railways quickly
stood him in good stead. During the war, the railway, and indeed the
whole estate, prospered under his father reflecting the demand for
materials. After the war, the engineering son visited the USA.
On his return, he convinced his father to acquire a Shay locomotive
to tackle some of the very steep inclines on the line.

By the time he inherited estate and title, the
line was running a mix of locomotives from the UK, USA and Europe.
In part, this reflected the fact that this had also become something
of a hobby for him - but one to which he still applied a good
business head. Nonetheless, during the 30s the rapid growth of road
transport reduced the cost effectiveness of the railway. In the
short term it was saved by yet another war, with, again an increase
in demand for materials. The Lambleys, however, could see that this
was a temporary respite and he and his son agreed that thereafter
they would have to curtail operations. They were still determined to
keep at least part of the line open for their own pleasure.

The war ended. The railway continued but it was no
longer cost effective even with the demand for materials for the
post-war rebuilding. Sadly, they closed much of the network, leaving
very little more than the line between Broadsteyne and Sompting
Lambley. Even this seemed doomed, until they noticed that a new
post-war interest had arisen. The British were going on holiday
en-masse. And their destinations included places such as Broadsteyne.
With a little carefully planned advertising, passenger traffic
increased significantly and the line just about avoided bankruptcy
with its summer income. But, funds would permit only the most basic
of maintenance.

As the country entered the 60s, times were still
changing rapidly. Standard gauge closures after the Beeching Report
and the gradual decline of steam led to a number of preservation
societies being formed. It was apparent that while they faced a
difficult challenge the public enthusiasm and support remained. The
Lambleys made the decision to ensure their railway survived by
creating a Trust and a Preservation Society for the line. Local
support was whole-hearted and before long they had volunteers from
all over southern England.

Times remained hard, but slowly the band of
volunteers and enthusiasts - which still numbered Lambleys amongst
them - restored the line not just to its former splendour but
beyond. And, now, it proves a popular tourist attraction and is
still able to offer a year-round basic passenger service to local
people. With the existing line fully restored, attention is now
being given to re-opening the line through the Downs along the River
Sump valley to the sand pits north of the Downs.